Coyotes Speak About Big Game vs. Sharks

GLENDALE -- The Coyotes are hosting the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night at Jobing.com Arena. Phoenix trails first-place San Jose by just two points in the Pacific Division standings, making this game the most intriguing game of the season to date. The teams will play twice more after Saturday before the regular season ends on April 8.

What follows is what members of the Coyotes said on Friday about the importance of Saturday's game:

Dave Tippett

"There's a real springtime atmosphere to it. When you have two teams that are in playoff positions I think it changes the complexity of the game. Last week, you saw our games against Anaheim and against Calgary were probably better games than (games played vs.) Columbus and St. Louis (this week). The urgency of the situation on both sides, I think, lends to a better game. So you're going to see lots of urgency the next couple games for us."-- Dave Tippett

"It's going to be a big game for us. We've got to have a good start and play a full 60 minutes because if we don't play a full 60 minutes against these guys they're going to give it to you."-- Keith Yandle

"They play a good style of hockey that obviously we have a tough time against. They have some defensemen that are very active and they are a good puck possession team. We just have to manage the puck better ourselves."-- Adrian Aucoin

“It’s a chance for us to tie for the division lead. We put ourselves in a pretty good position so far this year playing some good hockey, and to be able to be right there with the Sharks at the end of the season with six games left is an accomplishment for our team.”-- Taylor Pyatt

“We’re two points behind them and winning those three games would put us in a good situation to be first in the division, and that’s what we’re looking at, to finish in the top three in the conference. That would be a big step for us. We’re happy where we’re at but we still want to finish first.”-- Eric Belanger

Photo by Getty Images.

“It won’t be an easy game, but no games are easy right now because everybody is trying to get points. When you look at the division and when you look at the Western Conference standings, it’s so tight that every game means something. Every team is trying to get points, so it’ll be no different on Saturday. It’ll be a big game.”-- Radim Vrbata

“I think we’ve just got to come out and play our game and really just work on our game and not think about the standings too much. We know that we can play with any team in the league and that we have a chance to beat every team in the league. I think we’ve just got to focus on our game and it’ll be a great game.”-- Mikkel Boedker

“We've got to shut down their top line, keep them off the power play and pretty much just the same game plan we’ve used against them all year. We just have to execute better.”-- Paul Bissonnette